Tote firm threatens to withdraw

Press, 16 July 1980, Page 33

Tote firm threatens to withdraw

PA Wellington A large hurdle looms for New Zealanl racing: Automatic Totalisators, Ltd, has threatened to withdraw its services from racing and trotting clubs, a move which could bring the industry to its-knees. A withdrawal by A.T.L would affect 50 of the 71 racing and trotting courses round New Zealand, said the secretary of the Totalisator Agency Board, Mr N. Ashworth. Some courses have their own win and place machines and hire only quinella and double machines but many others hire all totalisator equipment from A.T.L. If A.T.L. terminated its contracts with the 50 courses which it serves then racing oh those tracks could stop. The New Zealand manager for the Australianbased A.T.L., Mr M. Smith, said no two contracts were alike but it appears that most of the New Zealand ones could be terminated after six months notice. The trouble centred on a new sell-pay totalistor system the T.A.B. planned to introduce to all racing arid trotting clubs in New Zealand.

A.T.L. was among -eight tenderers to supply the system but it had been decided. almost certainly that the job would go to another overseas company. The T.A.B. wanted gradually to phase out A.T.L.’s ticket machines as the new equipment was installed until’ all courses had made the change. It would not be possible to speed up the installation of the new equipment to replace A.T.L.’s if it withdrew its services early next year. The first course to use the new system was not scheduled to do so until mid-1982 and the rest of New Zealand would take about another two years.

There were some ways in which the possible withdrawal by A.T.L. could be averted but he would not elaborate. T.A.B. offices will still be able to sell bets —• they have their own tick-et-issuing machines — but if people cannot bet on the course it is unlikely that clubs will hold race meetings. Racing could be transferred to courses which do not have A.T.L. equipment but it is doubtful whether the tracks could cope with the extra race days.

Now, parallel to the T.A.B.’s proposed new system, A.T.L. is offering to all clubs now serviced by them installation of its own sell-pay totalisator system.

The Otaki Maori Racing Club hires A.T.L. totalisator equipment and its secretary, Mr N. Ames, said it had received a letter this month saying that A.T.L. would install its system at Otaki by the end of 1981 if the club so wished.

A.T.L. will demonstrate its equipment in New Zealand next week, according to a letter the club received yesterday. It said that A.T.L., would begin demonstrations in Auckland and Hamilton on Monday and would then go to Wanganui and Wellington on Tuesday, Christchurch on Wednesday and Dunedin on Thursday.

At the annual meeting of the Racing Conference in Wellington last week, the president of the conference, Mr A. Hughes, warned clubs not to reply to the A.T.L. proposal until the conference executive and the T.A.B. had evaluated the situation.